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It’s pretty good to be a Republican in Texas. With the party running most of the state and holding majorities in the legislature, you can pretty much say and do whatever you like and still win your election. Maybe that’s why when it comes to writing the party platform, anything goes.

The Texas platform heading into the 2014 elections isn’t just your standard conservative red meat. Oh, sure, you have a bunch of talk about limited government, lower taxes and the usual fare that the general public traditionally think of when it comes to the Republican party. Because this is Texas — the state of Ted Cruz and Louis Gohmert — things don’t just stop there.

Here are 5 extreme measures the Texas GOP have decided should be codified into their party platform:

1) Gay therapy. While much of the country is recognizing that LGBTQ people may in fact be regular people, and we are seeing marriage equality and discrimination laws being advocated to protect their equal rights, the Texas GOP has decided to double down on the idea that anything other than heterosexual attraction is something psychologically wrong, and needs to be “fixed.” “We recognize the legitimacy and efficacy of counseling, which offers reparative therapy and treatment for those patients seeking healing and wholeness from their homosexual lifestyle.No laws or executive orders shall be imposed to limit or restrict access to this type of therapy,” declares the party platform, with backers arguing, “Hey, it’s not like we are making people undergo it, we just want it to be there if they want it as an option.” End result? The implication that gayness is still an “oddity” and that a “cure” is out there for the taking.

On the bright side, they did pull out the part claiming: ”homosexuality tears at the fabric of society and contributes to the breakdown of the family unit. Homosexual behavior is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God.”

2) Getting even tougher against immigration. Just a few years after endorsing a path to a visa, the Texas Republican party has decided to ditch its previous endorsement of a guest worker program. “About 8,000 delegates gathered to consider the party platform and eventually rejected a proposed immigration plank that included language calling for a provisional visa program for immigrants,” writes the Texas Tribune. ”In its place, they adopted a plank that echoes the party’s 2010 platform. It does not call for a guest-worker program and instead calls for ending in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants and prohibiting sanctuary cities — municipalities that do not enforce immigration laws.” It’s a move that is unlikely to be popular with the large number of Texans who are related to or know someone who is undocumented but, thanks to the state’s new voter ID laws, the GOP probably figures many of them will get blocked from voting at the polls anyway.

3) What climate change crisis? Move along, folks, there is nothing to see here when it comes to global warming, at least, not according to the Texas GOP. “While we all strive to be good stewards of the earth, ‘climate change’ is a political agenda which attempts to control every aspect of our lives. We urge government at all levels to ignore any plea for money to fund global climate change or ‘climate justice’ initiatives,” according to the party platform. Of course, the “good stewards of the earth” on its own is a major biblical shout out and reminder of man’s alleged dominion over all natural resources. Because obviously, stewarding the earth means plundering it for all its lovely resources, and the last thing we want to do is let initiatives that could stop some of the more disastrous effects of our actions get in the way of making a buck.

4) Give women and girls the freedom to choose…to be mothers. There is no surprise in the Texas GOP declaring sanctity of life to be a platform plank (unborn life, not the life of the planet, as we saw in number 3). Sadly, it’s probably not even a surprise that they wrongfully declare the morning after pill to be an “abortifacient” rather than a form of pregnancy prevention. But after statement after statement on overturning Roe, making abortion illegal, restricting it to the point of unavailability until they can actually make that happen, and even fighting against laws that make blocking clinics illegal, the GOP then embraces a “woman’s right to choose.” As long as she chooses to parent. ”We strongly support a woman’s right to choose to devote her life to her family and children. We recognize her sacrifice in the face of the assault on the family.” It should be noted that no where in the platform is there anything supporting a woman or girl’s right to access preventative care, general health care, education, jobs, equal pay or anything else along those lines.

5) End divorce. So, making sure that marriage is just between a man and a woman isn’t enough for the Republicans of Texas. They also need to make sure that once that man and woman get married, they stay married no matter what. “We urge the Legislature to rescind no-fault divorce laws and support Covenant Marriage,” declares the platform, which means that once you get married divorce is only allowed if one spouse (and just one, not both) has an affair, physical abuse can be proven or both spouses agree to the divorce — which allows one partner to keep the other in a relationship against his or her will. It also demands that the wife be “submissive” to her husband.

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65 comments

It would appear that many Red states have been captured by Taliban-type religionists, who think that their deity should be elected President, and that they have a right to tell everyone how to live. It is either that, or some politicians are in cahoots with big money in order to keep the "little people" on Animal Farm.

I am a native son of Texas; that used to be a source of pride. But somewhere in the 90s, after Ann Richards left, something happened to my Texas, and the Crazys got control. Now I am ashamed of my home state, something I could never have imagined as a child.

I am all for Texas seceding. The messes they have created and the arrogance they strut with... Their craziness is contagious to the other GOP goofballs. People are who they are; you don't fix them. That used to be what the USA stood for, But when are they gonna learn that you can't fix the stupid in GOP.

If they would just put in one third of the effort to actual problems the country has and stop the gay harrassment and women bashing they might actually get some work done in the government. But as long as they think those two ideologies are the only ones that are important, nothing will improve in this country.

I have had the misfortune to have lived in God-fearing, gun-toting, women-hating, gay bashing, anti-government, anti-science, government-subsidized Texas for the last four years, surrounded by this sort of idiocy. This nonsense reminds me of Dairy Queen's peculiar slogan, "That's what I like about Texas." Yeah, that must be why I'm still here! What do their cups say in other states? I can't move yet, but when I can, I hope it's to an enlightened state that doesn't think it's the only state with Dairy Queens. And yes, if Wendy Davis does not get elected governor, Canadian reject Ted Cruz should do everyone a favor and concentrate on helping Texas secede from the union.

PLEASE KNOW NOT ALL CHRISTIANS ARE THIS BAT-SHIT CRAZY!!!
I am a proud Christian, who knows that Jesus died to BREAK DOWN THE BARRIERS THAT HUMANS PUT UP because God loves us ALL. Jesus trusted women to be teachers and leaders--it was Paul who stopped that. Jesus never even MENTIONED homosexuality--he was more concerned with liars, and people who judge others. Re: care of creation--this is simple stewardship.Re: divorce--know that many of us are 'prayerfully pro-choice'... Re: divorce--God hated when we stopped loving each other, but acknowledged it happens...it has been my experience that when GOD joins people, they do not stop loving each other--it is when we rubber stamp God's name on our wants that we get in trouble...I can only hope and pray that Wendy wins that state, and people can once again use the minds given to them by God to take care of and value each other.

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Julie M. Rodriguez is an arts, green living, and political writer based in San Mateo, CA. Her work has appeared in xoJane, Care2 Causes, Greener Ideal, and Inhabitat. Follow her on Twitter @julierwrites. less